The Only Thing Certain
by Simone17
Summary: Just hours after defeating Klaus, Elena dies in a tragic house fire. Was it simply bad wiring or is someone still out to kill her? With Damon's blood still in her system and a mystery savior Elena begins her afterlife when a lot of unanswered questions.AU
1. Ante Mortem

The Only Thing Certain

By: Simone17

Summary: Elena lays dying in her burning house, Klaus defeated only hours before, John died to save his daughter from becoming a vampire. All in vain, with Damon dying of the bite, and Stefan skipping town with Katherine, no ones there to save her. But Damon's blood still flowing through her veins, becomes her saving grace. Things have certainly change, but after all that's the only this certain in life.

I own nothing, just taking the characters for a test drive.

Nineteen year old Elena Gilbert was certainly less than pleased when a series of high toned beeps sounded through the family home at three in the morning. In her sleep hazed state of consciousness she brought her fist down furiously on her alarm clock and with the arm that made her fifth grade softball team champions of the state elementary school softball tournament, threw her cell phone across the room. A sigh of sweet satisfaction escaped her lips at the sound of it clattering against the far wall of her room.

Yet it was all to no avail as the incessant beeping continued to kept her from her sleep. Groaning she sat up a gave the room a sleepy eyed scan; perfume and lipstick scattered in front of pictures that lined her dresser, books piled on every horizontal surface, crowns and pageant trophies littering her bookshelves. Everything was exactly as it should be, yet the bothersome noise still plagued her ears.

She wiped the sleep from her eyes in an attempt to clear her vision. The haze still kept her eyes from focusing enough to see what was making the sound, instead it got progressively worse until she couldn't make out the faces in the picture by her bedside. Finally her sleep boggled mind processed the smell of smoke in the air, _Oh God ! _

She sprang from the bed, only to be brought to the floor by the sheet that was securely intertwined around her ankle. She kicked it loose and flung open her door, and was instantly assaulted by swirls of smoke so thick that she couldn't see her hand in front of her face. She could just make out the flickering of flames from below the banister.

She retrace her tracks to her bedroom and into her bathroom. The smoke was burning her eyes and she fought to unlock the door that led to her brothers room. _I have to get to Jeremy! _The lock finally gave in just as her brain snapped to attention and everything came rushing back. _Jeremy isn't here, he spent the night at Bonnie's. They had defeated Klaus but Jenna and John were dead. _

Her heart was being ripped apart all over again, but no, she couldn't do this now. She had to get out. Now.

By the time she had made it back to the stairs the smoke had intensified to the point that she couldn't breathe. Her lungs felt compressed in her chest and she couldn't see anything. One foot in front of the other until finally she felt the stairs under her feet. She grabbed hold of the banister and kept going despite the dancing flames and her unstable balance.

She paused as another sent of ragging coughs overtook her body, her grip on the banister the only thing keeping her on her feet. Suddenly a section of the banister below her broke and fell free, she felt the what was left of it wobble under her hand and tried to move, but it was too late. It fell causing her to lose what little balance she had and fall through the hole it left.

The few seconds of unconsciousness that resulted from the fall was a welcome and heavenly reprieve that didn't last nearly long enough. The instant she became conscious again she all but prayed for death to take her. The pain was unbearable and tormented her entire being, not an inch of her body was free of the anguish.

She tried to take a breath but that proved impossible, the smoke was too thick. The flames danced and the room spun round and round. She laid defenseless as the smoke grow heavier and the flames closer. The door was within her sight but reaching it was like reaching for the moon. She considered dragging herself to it but almost as if the fire heard her thoughts, it sent a beam covered in flames flying down from above to crush her hopes.

Her eyes were too dry to cry and her oxygen was completely cut off. It was surreal the way time slowed and everything became soundless; boards, beams, and flaming debris landed all around her but she didn't even flinch. It felt like she was watching from afar, from somewhere were none of it could touch her, she felt completely safe.

Dying wasn't as scary or as heartbreaking as she thought it would be. That brought her comfort, knowing that all the people she had mourned in her life had not suffered. Mourning was truly for those left behind. Jeremy would be alone now, that single thought made her reach her hand out for the door one last time. She knew it was hopeless but she had to try; for Jeremy and Bonnie, Caroline, Ric. And there was Damon.

He loved her. That much she knew without a doubt, and she had been quickly falling for him, it was okay to admit that now. She was dying and Stefan, who had worried that she would fall for his older brothers charms, he had somehow through all the chaos fallen in love with Katherine. She briefly wished she had stayed at Damon's instead of letting Caroline drive her home.

Funny how life works out isn't it. If someone had told her last month that she would defeat Klaus only to dying that very night in a house fire, she would have probably believed them. But had they told her that as she lay dying her thoughts would be of Damon Salvatore, she would have sworn of her love for Stefan and only Stefan, denying all her feeling for Damon. Yet here she was, she was dying, realizing all too late that she loved him.

She closed her eyes and counted her heartbeats. Thump, thump, thump, thump...

_To be continued..._

A/N: Here's the scoop. Elijah did kill Klaus, but Klaus killed Jenna. Damon's dying (but not to worry, he's gonna be okay.) John still died to save Elena, but no one could have imagined her dying due to bad wiring hours later. Isobel will make an brief appearance. Stefan fell in love with Katherine and broke up with Elena (a couple of weeks before the finale takes place) and they leave town after the show down with Klaus.


	2. Post Mortem

Wow, I just have to say it. I never could have imagined the response I would get for this story. Personally I don't see myself as that good of a writer, (at all). But, you guys disagree so who am I to argue. Any advise or suggestions is more than welcomed, I'm begging for it here. Also wanted to add that none of this would be possible with out my beta and best buddy, ilovethehappybunny.

Okay to answer some questions: One asked if I was going to have the fire as a arson, the answer is I have no idea. Maybe, I hadn't considered until you mentioned it and I have to say I like it, and I'll give it more thought, also if your reading this who would you have start the fire? Let me know.

Chapter Two

_Untitled_

Sounds assaulted her from every direction; the pounding of rain against stone walls, just beyond that she could make out footsteps from beneath her, the sliding of a chair against hardwood floors. The pulsation in her head refused to cease, and her mind was blank. Not a single clue as to where she was or how she got there.

She cracked her eyes open slightly in an thwarted attempt to discover her surroundings.

Big mistake.

She quickly snapped them shut against the onslaught of light. Everything was unbearably bright. It felt like her retinas were on fire.

Oh God!

Fire!

Her house was on fire! Well, at least it had been...but she could smell no trace of smoke in the air. She could however smell everything else; old fashioned beeswax, the scent of a heavy rainstorm. A familiar scent drifted from the sheets and circulated the room.

Something aphotic and affluent, dangerous and smooth with the aftertaste of expensive whiskey. It was oddly comforting.

Then there a scent that overpowered all others. It overwhelmed her until it was the only thing she was aware of. It was potent and powerful, and all around delicious. It awakened a profound burning in her throat.

She was both hungry and thirsty, but somehow she knew that what this scent was, it could cure both.

Her eyes snapped open, this was getting her nowhere. If she wanted to find whatever smelled so luscious then she had to get up. Her eyes seemed to have adjusted to the light. But everything was distracting her.

Dust particles floated through the air, they were bright and colorful. She reached out her hand and fought back a giggle of delight. She sat up to gain a better reach and the sheet slipped revealing her state of undress. Her clothes were no where to be seen.

She pulled the sheet from the bed and wrapped it around her. She about jumped out of her skin when a book fell from the folds of the sheet and hit the floor. She reached down and pick it up. It was an old battered copy of Gone With The Wind.

"_Margaret Mitchell? You didn't strike me as the type."_

"_The type of person who can appreciate great writing?"_

"_Fair enough."_

Damon.

She was in his room. She had woken up in Damon's bed...naked.

Had they...? And if they did then why didn't she remember it? Where was he?

_'Okay first clothes. Then answers.'_

Her search for clothes proved to be futile so she settled for one of his black button down shirts. It only reached her thigh, but it was that or the sheet.

She caught sight of her reflection in the bathroom mirror. She was deathly pale, her veins were a dark bruise like blue below her nearly transparent skin. She had been around enough vampires to recognize the signs.

She hadn't made it out of the fire alive. Who ever had saved her hadn't made it in time. But they had brought her here. It had probably been Damon, coming by to check on her. His blood had still been in her system from his contingency plan in the battle against Klaus.

This meant that John had died for nothing. Jenna was dead leaving just her and Jeremy. Would her brother prefer she was dead, could he deal with her being a vampire?

He had dated one, okay two counting Vikki. He didn't seem to mind Caroline, and he and Damon were friends even though Damon had snapped his neck. So Jeremy would be okay with it.

As would Caroline and Tyler. Ric, well Ric would help her out of love for Jenna. Stefan was gone so nothing to worry about there. Bonnie on the other hand was another matter all together, she might even go so far as to try and kill her, so she made a note to watch her back around the her witch best friend. Damon...how would he react?

Damon was certainly not predictable under the best of circumstances, trying to tell how he would react to this was impossible. Sure he had been the one to force her into taking his blood. He would feel guilty for forcing it on her, but she would have taken it willingly had he given her the chance. She could talk to him, make him see that it wasn't his fault. He had fought for her life until Elijah had ripped Klaus' unbeating heart from his chest. He had stood beside her when his brother, who had sworn to love her forever, left with the woman who had caused their deaths and hatred of one another.

Damon loved her, and she now knew that she loved him. But it would take time and actions not words, to convince Damon of this. He truly believed that she could never love a monster like him, but would he believe it now? When she was a monster too?

Okay let me know what you think and were you want me to go with it.


End file.
